Should China’s
blind dissident Chen Guangcheng be ashamed of himself
for holding up the agenda of two of the world’s leading powers? According to
this latest column on the subject from state mouthpiece, the China Daily,
the U.S. and China should not allow themselves to be sidetracked by human
rights allegations - even if true - by a single individual.
By "dissident," the newspaper referred to Chen Guangcheng, a blind man from East China's Shandong Province,
who provided legal advice to those allegedly victimized by improper enforcement
of family planning policies, though few in this country would describe him that
way.
In fact until a few days ago, few would have heard of him.
The newspaper's report identified Chen as "one of China's most prominent
dissidents." This will no doubt come as a revelation to most people here -
but not necessarily that big of a surprise.
After all, most Chinese "dissidents" who have
become Western heroes have rocketed from oblivion to prominence, only to return
to obscurity when no longer of any use to the West.
Although they are yet to complete the last step on their
agenda - getting U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama personally
involved and getting Chen to the United States - Chen and his helpers have been
quite successful about internationalizing him.
Regardless of the veracity of his stories, Chen has managed
to shelter beneath America’s wings and become what The New York Times
called a "crisis," during the all-important Strategic and Economic
Dialogue between Chen’s country and the United States.
Chen's smartly timed plea for American protection has served
him well. He has gotten the attention he sought - and is asking for more.
But at the same time, as he has become an awkward sideline
issue for senior U.S. and Chinese officials busy comparing notes on the big
picture of bilateral ties, Chen is holding one of the world's most important
relationships hostage.
He has become a political tool on the U.S. campaign trail,
with Republican nominee Mitt Romney already using Chen to attack Obama,
blatantly accusing the Obama Administration of failing to reach beyond U.S.
soil to protect a non-American.
So, if protection is what Chen feels he needs, America could
be the place to go, as long as his vaunted lawyering skills
enable him to sweet talk his new friends.
But to what extent should Chen's ambitions matter to these
two nations and the way they deal with one another? That is the real question,
both in Beijing and Washington.
Stories like Chen's are easily blown out of proportion to
suit the purposes of those that repeat them. In reality, even if all f Chen’s
stories are true, they reveal little more than abusive policy implementation by
a few grassroots officials. This is something Beijing has been striving to
address, and it is a challenging task considering the vast extent of the
world's most populous country.
By resorting to American "protection," Chen has
successfully blown a minor complaint completely out of proportion and made it a
burning issue among decision-makers in both capitals, particularly when Clinton
was shaking hands with Chinese leaders.
Human rights are no small matter, and verifiable
allegations, including Chen's, deserve proper redress. But is it appropriate to
allow one person's story to dictate the course of ties between two countries?
Neither will benefit if decision allow this dramatic one-man
show to distract and derail their efforts to anchor now volatile state-to-state
relations.
